Everybody's Got a Drug Dealer On Speed Dial
by XxMiseryxIsxMyxMasterxX
Summary: Why do you hate me?" Joshua asked, genuinely curious. "You want the whole list or the top ten?" :: JoshNeku, Better than summary makes it sound, AU, Twoshot, M for a reason.


**A/N- Pairing is NekuJoshua with a side pairing of RhymeBeat (they are NOT related in this, despite having the same last name) and there IS an OC, but I think she's only there... once or twice, not much. And it's only for about a second, so don't freak out on me, kay?**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own TWEWY because if I DID Joshua would not GIGGLE like a DEMONIC LITTLE GIRL. (He does giggle like that, you have to admit.)  
**

* * *

**..::Everybody's Got a Drug Dealer on Speed Dial::..**

"OH MY GOD IT'S-! IT'S-! _JOSHUA!_"

"WHAT?! NO WAY! LET ME SEE!"

"MOVE! I CAN'T SEE HIM!"

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

"AAAHHH! IT REALLY _IS_ HIM!"

Neku winced, turning his music up louder to try and drown out the high-pitched squeals.. Dear god, could they _get_ any louder?

"Ah, Neku. Are they being too loud?" The boy looked to his side at a small blonde girl and gave a slight nod.

"Yea... From all the noise they're making you'd think freaking Jesus was here or something..." He muttered, earning a giggle from the girl. "Well, to them, I'm sure he's the equivalent." Neku rolled his eyes, moving away from the screaming fangirls, "I bet he is. They worship his very existence, for whatever reason." He frowned slightly, "Wait... Why's he here anyway...?"

"I'm not sure, maybe he's here to pick someone up?" Neku thought for a moment, "That's a possibility..." His words were drowned out however, as the screams got louder, girls nearly pissing themselves from excitement as Joshua ascended the stairs outside the school. He flashed them a smile, causing three girls to faint and about 20 to scream at a volume Neku didn't even know existed.

"Stupid priss..." Neku muttered, "Rhyme, come on. I want to get out of here before my ears start bleeding." Rhyme nodded, allowing Neku to grab her hand and drag her out of the classroom. They ran down the hallway, both wanting out of the school before their eardrums broke.

Turning a corner, Neku ran smack into someone, causing the three of them to fall to the ground. "Oww, my ass..."

"Watch where you're going!" Neku blinked; The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't pin-point who it belonged to... Well, like it really mattered, the person was an ass.

"Well sorry I can't see through fucking walls," He looked up from the floor, eyes narrowed in a glare, "I'll be more careful next time, _your majesty_." The boy looked surprised, and it was easy to guess why.

He had run into none other than the famous, Joshua Kiryu and was _rude_. It was probably the biggest shock he'd had in a while, rendering him speechless.

_'Good... Fucking priss deserves to be disrespected once in a while...'_

**::Joshua::**

_'He... He has amazing eyes...'_ Joshua thought, unable to look away from the sapphire orbs, anger glistening in their depths. Funny, how when he's so rudely treated the real shock is someone's eyes. He almost laughed, just from the weirdness of the thoughts coming to mind from this situation, but refrained from doing so, keeping his cold composure as he stood up.

"Is that any way to talk to someone? Especially someone of my... Status, which is far higher than yours to say the least." The kid rolled his eyes, getting up and helping a small blonde girl to her feet. Ignoring Joshua completely, the orangette asked the blonde if she was ok, which she responded to with a nod and quiet 'yes'. He turned back to Joshua, his eyes narrowing into a glare once again.

"I don't give a shit about your status. You could be the fucking king of the world and I'd still be rude as hell. Because, to put it in words you'd be able to understand, I don't like you. At all."

Well that was knew. Never had Joshua met someone who didn't like him. Sure, some people thought he was a bit creepy, but they liked him all the same. He'd googled himself before, just out of sheer boredom, and every result he found was a positive reflection of him.

_'Wait... He doesn't like me...? I mean, yes, I have a... different, personality, but... Everyone is ok with that, aren't they? I mean, they're nice to me and say they like me... And I have so many fans...'_

"Here, Neku, you dropped these when you fell." Joshua snapped out of his thoughts, blinking twice. The blonde girl handed the boy, Neku was it, a pair of purple headphones, which he slipped on immediately. "Thanks Rhyme." He smiled at her, Rhyme, and Joshua frowned slightly. So he didn't just dislike everyone, a brief thought that had crossed his mind. He really did just disliked him in particular, which was displeasing to say the least.

Grabbing Rhyme's hand, Neku pushed past Joshua after turning his music back on, not saying a word to the silvernette. Rhyme followed, ignoring Joshua as well.

_'The girl doesn't like me either...? But... That's... Not possible...'_

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Neku::**

"Well, it's been officially proven. The guy is an ass." Neku said with a slightly annoyed sigh, and Rhyme looked up at him.

"Maybe he was just having a bad day." Rhyme suggested and Neku rolled his eyes, "Suuuure, that's it." Rhyme sighed, "It could be. You shouldn't write people off without really knowing them." Neku shrugged. He _shouldn't_ do that, but he did. And he really didn't care that he did it either, it wasn't like it was a national offense or anything.

"Oh yea, Neku, are you coming with me to the skateboard tournament today?" Rhyme asked and Neku thought about it for a moment, before nodding, "Yea, sure. Hey wait, isn't that pro skater going to be there? Skeet or something?" "Beat." Rhyme corrected, "And yes, he is." Neku gave her a look and she rolled her eyes, "I don't like him Neku, but I _do_ like skateboarding."

"Yea, but won't people be like... going crazy?" Neku asked and Rhyme nodded, "Yes, most likely. But it's no different from earlier today or when the Joshua comes on TV in a electronic store. You should be used to screaming by now." "Doesn't mean I _like_ it..." Neku muttered. He was used to screaming, but it still made his ears hurt and was possible the most annoying sound he'd ever heard. Except for maybe the smoke detector in his house. It was loud, sounding like someone screaming bloody murder, and actually made his ears bleed if he heard it for more than ten seconds.

"Well, you'll get over it right? It'd be nice to have someone cheering me on." Rhyme said, smiling. Neku rolled his eyes, though a small smile was tugging on his lips,

"Yea, yea... I'll be there, don't worry about it."

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Joshua::**

"Sho, tell me. Am I an ass?" Joshua asked his assistant manager who chuckled,

"You really have to ask? You're zetta slow." Joshua rolled his eyes, "Cut it with the math talk, will you? Honestly, it's more than annoying." Sho smirked faintly, leaning back against the wall, his black cap falling a bit so the upper half of his face was shadowed over, "Sure thing, hectopascal." Joshua's eye twitched in annoyance. Why did he even bother talking to this idiot? His vocabulary didn't make sense and just about every sentence had at least one math word in it. It was like talking to a calculator, a real pain-in-the-ass calculator who could actually speak back.

"Joshua, phone call." Joshua grabbed the phone, which was hurled at his head, and sighed, "Must you be so violent?" "Yes." The girl standing in the doorway replied, "It's fun. Though I do wish the phone had actually hit your head." She smiled innocently and Joshua rolled his eyes, though he was smiling as well.

His sister often acted like she hated him, but she was probably cared about him more than anyone else. Joshua looked at Sho, who was staring at the ground, and blinked once, before shrugging. "Sho, please escort my sister downstairs." He requested and Sho gave a slight nod, lifting his head up. His hat fell over his face a bit more, shadowing over his features. He walked over to the girl, who raised an eyebrow, grabbing her wrist and taking her downstairs.

"Now then... May I ask why you're calling, Sanae?" Joshua asked, earning a quiet chuckle from the man on the other end of the phone.

"How'd you know it was me?" Joshua giggled, "Because I stalk your phone lines of course." Sanae laughed, "Of course you do. Should've guessed." Josh smiled, "So, why exactly are you calling me?" "Just wanted to give you a schedule update. You have a photoshoot on Tuesday with the winner of the skateboarding tournament going on today-" Joshua groaned, "I _hate_ skateboarding!" "Then it's good you're not doing that isn't it?" He sighed, "I suppose so... What else is there?"

"I booked you a sound booth to record your knew song in, that's... Some point on Tuesday. After the photoshoot. I can't remember the time." Joshua rolled his eyes; The man was always horrible with times. "On Wednesday you have an autograph session, I think that's what it's called anyway, at the AMX. On Thursday, you have... nothing that I can remember, and on Friday you have a private show at a sixteenth birthday party. As for the weekend, you have something, but I can't think of it right now." Sanae laughed.

"Alright, I'll tell Sho so he can keep track of it for me. Thanks for updating me." Joshua said, "I'll talk to you later then. Goodbye, Sanae." He hung up, sighing quietly and running a hand through his hair. He wouldn't be getting much sleep this week, which wouldn't be helping his insomnia, but that's the price you pay when you're famous.

Sho walked back in the room, the upper half of him drenched. Joshua blinked, "What-?"

"Radian dumped a zetta huge bucket of water on my head..."

There was a three second pause before Joshua burst out laughing.

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Neku::**

"Neku! You came!" Rhyme chirped happily and Neku smiled.

"I said I would, didn't I?" The small girl hugged his waist for a brief moment, pulling away after no more than two seconds. "I know. Thanks for keeping your word." Neku ruffled the girl's hair, "No problem. Now get going, you're up soon." Rhyme nodded and ran off, paying no attention to the blond she passed. The blond, a boy of about fifteen, looked pretty confident, a slight, smug, smirk playing over his lips. Neku's eyes narrowed, just slightly, as he leaned back against a metal bike rack.

_'That must be that pro skateboarder, the one who's supposedly the best in the world... Beat, I think his name was... Kick his ass Rhyme.'_

"Number 24, Daisukenojo Bito!" Beat growled, his eye twitching slightly. Neku raised an eyebrow. What was wrong with the kid?

Beat shook off whatever it was that had been annoying him and started skateboarding, a smile coming to his face soon after starting. A few tricks managed to minorly impress Neku, who wasn't a huge fan of skateboarding and often paid it no attention. He had to admit, the kid was good.

_'But Rhyme is better...'_

Beat's turn came to an end after a little over a minute and he grinned as fans of his cheered. Neku sighed, wanting to go home. But he'd promised Rhyme he'd watch her, and he intended to keep that promise. And she'd be more entertaining to watch, at the very least managing to properly hold his interest.

"Number 25, Raimu Bito!" Rhyme smiled, though a few people were raising their eyebrows at her, some even snickering, and waved to Neku. He gave a slight wave back and a small smile, which was all the confidence she needed. She waited for the signal before starting and not ten seconds into her turn, everyone was dead silent, unable to look away.

She was small for her age, quiet, intelligent, but not someone anyone would think of when skateboarding came to mind. Despite being the exact opposite of everyone's mental image of someone who skateboards, she was by far the best one here. Even Beat was rendered speechless, something that brought a faint smirk to Neku's face.

Rhyme's turn was over just under a minute before it began, but once she stopped, everyone started cheering, clapping, yelling incoherent things while they spazzed... She smiled, feeling happy with herself. Even if she didn't win, she had fun and entertained those around her. That's really what made her the happiest.

She made her way over to Neku, her board tucked under her arm. He smiled at her, "You did really well, Rhyme." She smiled back, giggling softly, "Thanks. I probably won't win, but I had fun." Neku inwardly sighed- Rhyme had such little self confidence.

"Everyone! If we may have your attention!" Everyone became silent and looked over at the judges, waiting for them to announce the winner. "I'm sure you're all anxious to know who won, so we we'll just tell you instead of going on about it. The winner of this years annual skateboard contest is-! Miss Raimu Bito!"

Rhyme just stood in place due to pure shock for a moment, before Neku gave her a light shove. "Go on!" She blinked twice, before nodding and running over to the judges table to get her trophy. He glanced over at Beat, who looked possibly more shocked than Rhyme.

_'Looks like you're not the best anymore, are you?'_

||..::+::+::+::..||

"I'm home." Neku said quietly upon opening the door to his house and walking inside the small structure. No one answered him, but he had already known he would get no reply. He hadn't grown used to it, and he probably never would, but he had to live with it. His parents, his siblings, they wouldn't answer him. Not anymore.

He sighed, stepping over the Doritos bags scattered around the room, and making his way upstairs. He stopped at the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Scruffy orange hair underneath a pair of shoved on headphones, dull blue eyes out-shined by pale skin, stick-like limbs matching his scrawny body... He laughed softly. He wasn't much to look at, not that he had ever really thought of himself as attractive. Sure, as a child people used to call him 'cute' or 'adorable', but now the whispers behind his back calling him a 'mess' or a 'freak' seemed to fit better.

Flicking off the bathroom light, he walked out of the small room. The creaking floorboards beneath his feet created echoes throughout the house that were easily ignored by the teen. Hearing the sound every day for years had made is a simple background noise, something that could be shut out or ignored with little effort.

He opened the door to his room and walked inside, ignoring the bloodstained carpet, and sat down on his bed, staring out at the moon outside his window. It was brighter than usual, or it seemed like it. He sighed quietly, closing his eyes, leaning his head against the cold glass. He didn't bother to open his eyes as he felt the phone in his pocket vibrate, grabbing the object and pressing 'talk' as he brought it up to his ear.

"Hello Rhyme." He answered quietly. He already knew it was her, no one else called him.

"Hello Neku." Rhyme replied, "Can you come with me somewhere tomorrow?" She asked and Neku sighed, opening his eyes slightly and looking back up at the moon. Somehow, it was comforting to look at the object bathing his room in a soft, blue glow. "I don't know... Where are you going?"

"I'm having my picture taken, professionally taken, tomorrow with a celebrity for winning the contest today, and I don't want to be alone." Neku sighed again. He really didn't want to see any celebrities, they all annoyed the hell out of him. "Rhyme... You know I hate all those assholes..." "Please Neku? I really, _really_, don't want to be there with no one I know..."

"Alright, maybe... Which celebrity?" There was a pause, an obvious sign that Rhyme was debating whether or not to tell him, before she answered, "Joshua Kiryu." Neku frowned, "No. Out of everyone on this entire _planet_, I hate him the most." Rhyme sighed, "It's not going to be that long, and you don't have to talk to him..." "Just seeing him is annoying enough. He burns my damn eyes..." Neku muttered.

"Please?" Rhyme asked again softly, and Neku groaned, hitting his head on the window. "Fine, whatever... If you're that concerned with being there alone I'll go with you..." "Thanks Neku!" Rhyme chirped happily and Neku rolled his eyes, "Yea, yea... You owe me though. Being around the king of bastards isn't my idea of fun." Rhyme giggled softly, "I know. I'll buy you ramen later, ok?"

"...Ok..." Neku replied, his spirits raised just a bit at the thought of his favorite food. "Great! I'll see you later then, Neku. Goodnight." Rhyme hung up, leaving Neku once again alone in the silence of his room, now with the thought of seeing Joshua tomorrow. Not bothering to lay down, he closed his eyes again, his lips forming a small frown as he drifted off into a restless sleep.

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Joshua::**

"Sho, can't your drive any faster?" Joshua asked, staring out the window, clearly bored. Sho glared at him in the mirror.

"We're already above the speed limit, hectopascal." Joshua sighed, "Fine, fine... I just want this to be over with, so the sooner we get there, the sooner the photo will be taken, and the sooner we can leave..." Sho rolled his eyes, "We're here anyway." He pulled up a large building, getting out of the car and walking to Joshua's side of the vehicle to open his door for him. Joshua got out, walking ahead of his assistant manager.

"So, who exactly won this contest? That one skater, oh what was his name... Beat, I think it was?" Sho remained a few feet behind Joshua, not bothering to catch up to the kid, "No, it was some girl. Can't remember her name, but it was something zetta dumb." Josh rolled his eyes, "If you can't remember it, how do you know it's dumb?" "Because my name is the only one with any beauty, making everyone else's names dumb."

"Joshua, you're here!" A woman's voice cut Joshua off before he could respond to Sho's statement and he faked a smile. "Hello, Eri. It's nice to see you again." He replied, and she smiled at him, "Nice to see you as well! And I know how you hate being posed, so I'll try to make this as fast as possible, ok?" Joshua nodded, taking a water that she photographer gave to him.

"Oh great, priss is here." Joshua looked in the direction the voice was coming from, recognizing the cold tone and rude manner. He was greeted by a pair of blue eyes glaring at him, just like the time they met. Eri frowned, putting her hands on her hips, "Neku Sakuraba! Show some respect!" The boy rolled his eyes at her, "Come on Rhyme, I want to get out of here soon as possible." He sighed, mumbling, "I can't believe I agreed to this..." A small blonde girl walked into the room, a faint smile on her face.

"I know Neku, but I'm sure it won't take that long. Just try not to strangle anything." She giggled softly and Neku rolled his eyes, though a slight smile was visible on his pale features. "No promises." He replied, leaning back against the wall, slipping his headphones over his ears. Rhyme walked over to Joshua, who was frowning. Why did the kid hate him so much...?

"Sorry about Neku." Joshua blinked and looked at Rhyme. He quickly put on his usual attitude, flashing a smile. "It's no problem. But I would like to know, why does he seem to hate me?" Josh asked. "You should ask Neku that question. He might be rude about it, but he'll answer you." She said, before turning to Eri who wanted to talk to her about the photo. Joshua glanced at Sho, who was playing with his calculator, before walking over to Neku.

"Hey." Neku opened his eyes and looked up from the floor and glared, "What?" He asked, venom dripping from his words. Joshua frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You don't need to be so rude, you know. I merely wanted to ask you a question." Neku sighed, obviously annoyed.

"Fine. What's your question?" "Why do you hate me?" Joshua asked, genuinely curious. "You want the whole list or the top ten?" Neku asked, crossing his arms. Joshua sighed, "Just give me a few reasons then."

"I hate fakers, you're an ass, you do drugs, drink, lip sync most of your songs on stage, treat people no better than the dirt beneath your feet and..." Neku tapped his lip in thought for a moment, "...your hair is annoying." Joshua was shocked. Yes, he did at one point do drugs, but that was a month ago. And he did enjoy going to clubs and having a... fair, amount of alcohol, but he had never told anyone that. As for lip syncing, it wasn't obvious, no one could even tell. His acting was flawless, his personality seemed genuine, and his hair... Well, he liked his hair.

"Wait, how did you-?" "Your eyes are more bloodshot than normal and your skin is unusually dry. Your breath doesn't have a real smell to it and your lips move out of time with the words when you sing." Neku replied. Joshua blinked twice. This kid was extremely observant. "And you don't deny any of it. At least you don't lie _all_ the time. Just the majority."

"Josh, come on! I need to take your pictures now!" Joshua was dragged over to the shooting area before he could respond, and posed beside the blonde, his arm around her shoulders, his head resting on her shoulder beside him, lips curved into a soft smile, one hand in his pocket. A simple pose for him, but as the lights flashed and his position was changed slightly, he kept wanting to glance over at the boy watching from across the room.

"Ok! you two are done!" Eri said happily and Rhyme walked away from Joshua, going over to Neku. "You ready to go now?" She asked and he gave her a look. "No, I want to stay here and let my eyes burn from looking at the asshole. Please, don't make me leave yet." He said sarcastically and Rhyme laughed lightly, "Alright, let me get my bag and we can leave. I'll be right back." Rhyme walked to another room, leaving Neku to wait for her.

Joshua leaned back against the wall beside the door and looked at Neku, who was staring back down at the floor, his eyes closed, while music blasted out of his headphones.

_'Hmm... Wonder what he's listening to... Wouldn't it be interesting if it was one of _my_ songs? But... I really doubt that it is... If he wanted to hear my voice he could just talk to me, which he obviously has no interest in doing...'_

"Neku, come on. We're leaving." Neku looked up, smiling. "Finally!" Rhyme laughed, "I wasn't that long Neku." "Every second spent near him," He motioned to Joshua who blinked, "Is like spending an eternity in hell." He replied, opening the door and walking out, Rhyme walking behind him. Joshua frowned slightly. Being near him wasn't like hell... Was it? Waiting until Neku and Rhyme were across the street, he pulled out his phone, pressing speed dial three.

Ring.

Ring.

Ri-

"Hello?" A voice answered, "Aza," Joshua glanced outside, catching a last glimpse of Neku before he turned the corner, "What can you tell me about a kid named Neku Sakuraba?"

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Neku::**

"You know, he really isn't _that_ bad." Rhyme said, walking beside Neku, who rolled his eyes.

"Yes, he _is_ that bad. He thinks he's so much better than everyone else... It's fucking annoying..." Rhyme sighed. There was no changing his mind. He was so stubborn. They sat down at a table in the ramen place and Neku turned his attention to the window beside them, staring out at the Shibuya streets.

Rhyme ordered their food, already knowing what Neku liked. Neku murmured a quiet 'thanks', still staring outside. There was a TV playing on the bar counter, which Rhyme started watching. It was the news channel, but it wasn't very informative, just going on about useless things that applied to only a handful of people.

Their food came and they ate it in a calm silence, the two of them being just about the only people in the place. Rhyme paid the bill upon finishing and she and Neku walked out, starting to talk again.

"You know, we missed school today because of your photo-whatever with Joshua." Neku said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Rhyme nodded, "We did. But a little break never hurt anyone, and apparently Eri called to inform our school about it, so it's an excused absence." She told him, and he smiled slightly. "That's good to hear... Anymore unexcused absences and I'm getting suspended."

"Yo, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Rhyme and Neku turned to face a blond boy, about their age, both looking equally surprised when they saw who it was. "Sure. Is there something we can help you with?" Rhyme asked, tilting her head to one side slightly. Neku could've sworn he saw a pink tinge come to the blond's face, but it was gone so quickly it could easily have just been his imagination.

"U-um... Can you uh... Can you teach me to skate like you?" Rhyme blinked twice in surprise, then smiled. "Sure! I'd be happy to." She scribbled down her number on a piece of paper she had in her pocket and handed it to Beat. "Call me when you want me to help you, ok?" He was too stunned to say anything for a second before his face broke out in a grin and he nodded. "'Aight! Thanks yo!" He gave a wave goodbye before hopping on his board and skating off, seeming a lot happier than a few minutes before.

"Well, that was nice of you." Neku said, as he and Rhyme started to walk again. "Well it wasn't an impossible request and he he seems nice enough." Rhyme replied, smiling. Neku raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Rhyme seemed happier too for some reason...

"Oh yea, Rhyme, you want to come with me to the AMX tomorrow? I got an email saying they had some new CD's in." Rhyme shrugged, "Sure. I don't see why not. Maybe I can get something while we're there." Neku nodded, "I'm sure they'll have something you'll want."

"Oh, fancy meeting you here." Neku's eye twitched slightly and he didn't turn around. Rhyme, deciding to be polite, turned to face the silvernette, giving a small wave. "Hello Joshua. Neku, say hello." Neku groaned and turned around,his eyes immediately narrowing at the boy as he crossed his arms. "Hi. Why don't you go play in traffic?" Rhyme elbowed Neku in the side and he winced. For such a little girl she was pretty damn strong.

Joshua smirked faintly, "A lovely suggestion Neku, but I'm afraid that could cause me harm and well, I couldn't upset my fans like that." Neku growled, resisting the urge to wring the boy's neck. "Anyway, I was actually hoping to run into you. You see, I need someone to be my backup singer for a show I have two weeks from now, and a little birdy told me you have quite a voice." Neku's eye twitched, "_You_ want _me_ to be your fucking _backup singer_? You're out of your damn mind."

Inwardly, Neku was having a small panic attack, wondering if Joshua was lying about knowing Neku could sing, or if someone really had told him. Yes, he could sing. And he could sing _well_, but he hadn't sung in front of anyone since he was five, when his cousin had gotten jealous and tried to suffocate him with a pillow case.

After an experience like that, it's enough to make anyone hate singing in front of others.

"Oh, I don't know. Tell you what, sing for me and if your voice can't keep my interest, you don't have to sing with me." Joshua said, smirking. "Or, how about I just _don't_ sing with you? I like that option." Neku responded, earning a giggle from the other boy.

_'That... Was the most disturbing sound I think I've ever heard...'_

"Sorry Neku, but that's not an option. Or rather, if you want me to leave you alone it's not." Neku sighed in annoyance. He didn't want anything to do with Joshua, but if it got him to leave him alone...

Something seemed to snap together in Neku's mind and he shrugged, a faint smirk on his face. "Ok. So then don't leave me alone." Joshua blinked, not knowing how to respond to that. "See if you can figure me out. And when you go crazy because no matter how hard you try you can't understand me, well, I'll be there laughing at you."

Joshua was too shocked to say anything. Mind games, manipulation, quickly thought up schemes... Those were _his_ talents. And this boy was going to use them against him? He smirked. If he wanted to play, then he better be ready to lose. "Hmm, I'll keep that in mind." He giggled, making Neku visibly cringe. "I better get going before someone realizes I'm here. Tah tah for now Neku." He flipped his hair, earning himself a 'wtf' look from both Rhyme and Neku, before turning on his heel and walking off.

"That... was odd."

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Joshua::**

"And who would you like this addressed to?" Joshua asked sweetly, making the girl giggle.

"Shiki Masaki." Joshua smiled, writing down 'To Shiki Misaki' before his signature, and handing the CD back to the girl. She blushed, smiling, before walking off with a group of girls, all giggling and blushing as they talked in hushed voices. Joshua held back a sigh; He'd been signing CD's for the last three hours, listening to girl's squeal and giggle, some of them randomly hugging him and running off with their autographed CD. His hand was hurting from writing so much, and he was surprised his ears hadn't started bleeding yet.

"Heeeey, Neku! Nice to see ya kid!" Joshua's head jerked up from the desk in front of him to look at the pale boy who had just entered the AMX. He gave the clerk a slight wave, a small smile on his face.

"Hey. You said you had some new stuff in?" The clerk nodded, pointing to a section in the back of the store where all the alternative, punk, and rock music was. For once, he wasn't with Rhyme, which seemed a bit surprising. He gave a simple 'thanks' before walking to the back, ignoring Joshua completely. Joshua sighed as another album was placed in front of him, faking a smile.

"Who would you like this addressed to?" The words were automatic, a phrase that he been repeating for a while. He signed it according to how the girl wanted it before handing it to her, still faking a sweet smile. She squealed and ran out, blushing. That was a basic reaction, one of the more common ones. He got up from his seating, saying he needed a break, and made his way to the back of the store.

"Isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Joshua asked and Neku sighed quietly.

"Hello, Joshua." There was no edge to his voice, no venom. If anything, his words sounded... sad. Joshua blinked, "Are you alright?" He got no response, and sighed. He looked down, and his eyes widened slightly. Fresh scars covered Neku's arms, red marks standing out against his pale skin. "Neku... Why did you...?" Neku looked down at his arms and shrugged. "Reasons." He replied simply.

The door the AMX opened and a group of boys walked in, all with smirks on their faces.

"Hey, emo. Where were you today? We told you to meet us after school." Neku tensed, taking a deep breath and turning around to face the boys. "I really didn't feel like messing with you today." He said simply. Joshua glanced at him, noticing bruises and cuts on the boy's body, injuries obviously not caused by him. One of the boys glared at Neku, frowning.

"Who the hell cares what you want? You do what you're told, got it?" Joshua frowned, looking at the boys with a slight glare. They hadn't noticed him yet, which somewhat surprised him, but he shrugged it off. "Now why is that?" The boys jumped, startled and turned their attention to Joshua. Everyone of them visibly paled and Neku glanced at the boy beside him.

"I can think of several people who care about what Neku wants. And why should he do as he's told when the instructions come a group of monkeys with IQ's no higher than that of a rock?" "U-um-" "I suggest you leave. I could always have you kicked out, but I'm feeling generous." The boys where too shocked to move, and Joshua glared at them coldly, "Get out."

Without another word, the boys ran out, tripping over each other in the process, yelling at one another to move. Joshua glanced at Neku, who quickly turned his gaze to the floor. "Sorry if you didn't want me interfering, but they were rather annoying." Neku mumbled something and Joshua frowned slightly, "What?" Neku looked up at Joshua, a small smile on his face. A faint blush could be seen on his cheeks if you looked closely, and Joshua's frown disappeared immediately upon hearing Neku speak.

"Thank you."

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Neku::**

Joshua's chauffer drove both him and Neku home, since Joshua insisted that he 'couldn't let poor little Nekky get hurt', which earned him a rather hard kick to the shin. Upon getting to Neku's house, an average place, two stories and a nice front yard Joshua noted, Neku didn't bother thanking Joshua as he got out, and the silvernette expected no less from the teen. Thanking him once must've been hell, a second time and he's probably feel the urge to kill himself.

Walking up to his house, Neku heard Joshua's car speed off and sighed.

"Why is my name fucking 'Nekky' now...?" He muttered, unlocking the door and going inside. He tossed his headphones gently on the couch and walked upstairs. There was a message from Rhyme on his phone, but he didn't feel like checking it. She had ditched him to go help Beat skate anyway, he was a bit upset with her. Laying down on his bed, he sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

Joshua... Had stood up for him. He had kept him from getting hurt, from being beaten up like usual, and he _apologized_ to him for it, in case he had wanted the boys to stay. He had asked about the marks on his arms rather than making fun of him for them...

Closing his eyes, he frowned slightly. Joshua was an ass, a self-centered ass...

_'But not today... Today he protected you...'_

"Shut up, mind..." Neku mumbled, starting to fall asleep, "I still... hate him..."

||..::+::+::+::..||

The bell rang, and everyone cheered, some people throwing their things up in the air, or out the window, others just screaming as they ran down the hallway. Neku and Rhyme smiled, getting up from their seats and grabbing their stuff as they walked out of the classroom.

"And school is finally OVER!" Neku said, stretching a bit as they walked.

"Only until next year." Rhyme reminded him and he groaned, "Don't remind me. We have two more years of this damn place, _then_ freedom. Well, no, then college, but that's a bit closer to freedom so... yea." Rhyme giggled, "Neku, you should really think out your words before you say them." Neku shrugged, "Maybe later."

"Oh yea, I heard Joshua was signing autographs at the AMX yesterday. Sorry I didn't go... But you didn't kill him did you?" Rhyme asked and Neku sighed, :No I didn't kill him... Actually... He stood up for me..." Rhyme blinked, "He stood up for you? Why would he need to do that?"

"Tyde's gang came in, looking for their punching bag." Neku told her and she sighed, "Their jerks... Well, I'm glad Joshua was there to protect you." She smiled. Neku gave a slight nod, not saying anything. He was glad too, which is what confused him. Just a few days ago he'd happily have had the shit beaten out of him rather than be saved by Joshua. But now...

_'Dammit... What's wrong with me...?'_

"Oh! Yea, um, I forgot to mention... Beat is going to walk home with me so we can discuss skateboarding techniques, is that-?" "That's fine." Neku interrupted, smiling. "You seem to really like him." Rhyme blushed, looking away. "N-not like that! We're just... acquaintances with a lot to talk about." Neku rolled his eyes, "Riiight... But I'll just walk home on my own then, no big deal." Rhyme tilted her head, "You sure?" Neku nodded, "Positive. You gonna wait here for him then?" Rhyme nodded. "Yep." "I guess I'll see you later. Bye Rhyme." Rhyme waved goodbye as Neku walked off, happy he was ok with her not going home with him.

Neku's phone vibrated in his pocket, which he took out and stopped before hitting 'talk'. He didn't recognize the number, meaning it was probably a prank call or someone wanting to sell him something. With a shrug, he answered, bringing the object to his ear. "Hello?"

"Ah, hello Neku." Neku froze. How the hell had he gotten his number...? "Joshua, how the hell did you get my cell phone number?!" He yelled, getting a few strange looks from several people around him. Joshua giggled, "The phone book, of course. Did you know there's only one 'Sakuraba' in Shibuya?" Neku blinked, "...Joshua, they don't put cell phone numbers in the phone book." Joshua sighed, "Oh all right. I had my manager find it."

"...Why?" Neku asked, confused. Why would Joshua want to call him? Just to annoy the living hell out of him?

_'Yea, that's probably it... He just wants to make me go insane...'_

"I was bored. I don't have anything scheduled today and everyone else I know is busy." "So you decided to call me as a last resort?" Neku asked, a strange, uncomfortable feeling forming in his stomach for some reason. "No. Actually, you're the first person I called. I'm more or less just assuming everyone else is busy and I wanted to call you anyway, just to annoy my little Nekky~" Neku growled, "Don't call me that!" He snapped, earning a giggle from the boy on the other end of the line.

"Whatever you say, Dear." Neku growled again. "Why can't you just use my name like a normal person?" "Because that's no fun! But fine, fine... If it annoys you so much, I'll call you Neku." Neku rolled his eyes. Damn priss, screwing with him. "Oh, Neku, I actually have a question to ask you." Neku blinked, "What is it?" "Are you gay or straight? Or bi?"

"Wh-what?! What kind of question is _that_?!" Joshua giggled, "Gay it is then." Neku blushed, "I-i never said that!" "Yes, but your reaction and the fact that you're not firmly denying it is proof enough." Neku bit his lip, "...Shut up..." Joshua chuckled softly, "Well, since you so kindly answered my question, how about you ask me something? I'll answer honestly, you have my word."

_'Ask you something...? Like _what_? Why the hell your hair looks like something a princess from a little girl's fairy tale book would have?'_

"Um... Alright, fine. What's your gender preference?" Neku asked and Joshua laughed. "Gender preference? So formal Neku. And I've always thought of you as such a blunt person." "Just answer the damn question Joshua." Neku said, walking inside his house. Joshua 'hmm'ed in response before answering. "Boys. That's my 'gender preference'." Neku rolled his eyes, "Why does that not surprise me?"

There was a loud yell from Joshua's end of the line and he sighed, "I have to go. But we'll chat again soon, so try not to miss me _too_ much, ok Neku?" Before Neku could retort the line went dead, and he glared at his phone. "Damn priss... Like hell I'd miss him..."

Why did it feel like he was lying?

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Joshua::**

"Joshua, dammit, give me phone back." Sho snatched the phone from Joshua's hand and glared at the boy, who giggled.

"Really Sho, it's just a phone. It's not like I stole your calculator." Sho hit him in the back of the head before walking out, muttering to himself under his breath something that sounded quite a lot like digits of pi. Josh sighed, "Well, now I'm bored... But at least I've figured out something about him..." Joshua leaned his head back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, a small frown on his face.

"Just thinking about him gives makes me feel so... happy... and it gives me butterflies, fluttering around in my stomach..."

_'I... I can't be... _attracted_ to him, could I...?'_

"Neku Sakuraba..." He murmured, closing his eyes. "Why do I wish that you didn't hate me...? Why does the thought of you make me want to blush...?" He thought for a moment, his mind wandering to the blue-eyed boy with the pretty smile and smooth voice... "Why, why why...? I want to hold you, I want to hear your voice, I want... I want to kiss you..." He sat up properly, shaking his head. He shouldn't be thinking things like that, he didn't even know _why_ he was thinking things like that. Neku was nothing special...

_'He's special, in every possible way. The way his eyes shimmer in the sunlight, the way he looks when he blushes, the way my heart rate quickens when he smiles... No one else is like that, no one else makes me feel this way. He is special...'_

"Like hell I'm going to tell him that though..." Joshua mumbled, "He'd probably kick me in the face..." He sighed, slightly irritated. "So I like him... I'm attracted to a boy who hates me in every way possible and wishes I were dead..."

He could be himself around Neku, no faking, no sugar-coated words. He liked that, even if it did annoy the other boy to no end. He giggled, remembering Neku's reaction to the name he had called him. He really didn't seem to like being called 'Nekky', for whatever reason.

_'I think I'll go to bed early tonight... My mind needs a break from thinking about him for a few hours...'_

Joshua walked upstairs, saying a quick goodnight to his sister before heading to his room and passing out on his bed. The fact that it was only five in the afternoon didn't matter, he just wanted to stop thinking.

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Neku::**

"Argh! That's the tenth time I've died in the last hour!" Neku yelled at the TV, getting annoyed. "Alright, fuck Halo. It's too hard and I'm being killed by damn _hammers_!" He turned the console off, sighing. He was usually good an video games, since that's all he really did in his spare time due to having only one friend and nothing else to do, and it annoyed the hell out of him when he was bad at a game. Usually he'd just turn the game off, but on occasion he'd throw the controller at the TV, and thankfully miss, just out of sheer annoyance.

"Well... what to do now... Rhyme is busy with Beat, and Joshua... isn't an option. I hate him." Neku mumbled, something tugging at his chest, as if telling him he was lying, that he didn't hate Joshua. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had no idea why he was even considering Joshua for _anything_, let alone hanging out. For one, the kid was a prissy bastard who was the center of almost every girls' universe. Second, he was an extremely busy person, with all the photoshoots, song recordings, autographs, and everything else he had to do. Third, Neku **did not**like Joshua. Not in any way, shape, or form.

_'Besides... Even if... Even if I did like him... He'd never like a nobody like me...'_

Neku sighed. Why was he even thinking about this? He _never_ thought about things like this, so why now? And why about _Joshua_ of all people?

"I need some fresh air..." He got up, walking outside to his backyard, the area lit up in an orange glow from the setting sun. He smiled softly, staring at the warm sky. It was so peaceful...

He sat on his porch, staring at the sky until the warm orange became a dark blue and the yellow ball of light became a dim blue crescent far above him. He leaned back against the wall of his house, watching the stars come out and light up the dark canvas so far away.

"It's nice out..." He murmured. The simple things, moments, pictures, words... Those were the things he took pleasure in, all the memories that were to be made, all the pictures that could trap those memories in such a simple image, all the words that could express just one small feeling or thought...

"I wonder... Is Joshua looking up at the same sky right now...?" Neku thought out loud, and mentally kicked himself in the ass. Who _cared_ if Joshua was staring at the sky? Which he probably wasn't, he was probably sleeping. With a life as stressful as his, wouldn't he want to get as much sleep as possible when it was available?

_'Why am I even thinking about him...? He's not important...'_

Neku sighed, feeling confused. Joshua _wasn't_ important, not to him, but... Why did it feel like it was a lie? Everything negative that he normally thought about Joshua... It all seemed to be fake hatred, fake annoyance... Why was he feeling like this?

_'Probably just some stupid mind game the idiot decided to play with me...'_

He got up, started to feel cold, and went back inside. He turned back on his xbox360 and grabbed his controller, sitting back down on the couch.

"I _will_ beat this damn game.

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Joshua::**

"_J-Joshua-!_"_ Joshua shivered, hearing that sweet voice moan his name. He bit down on the boy's neck, a hiss of both pain and pleasure slipping through the boy's pale lips._

"_Josh-_" _A moan of pleasure cut the boy off, and Joshua chuckled quietly._

"_Yes, Neku? Something you need?_" _He licked the shell of Neku's ear, making him shiver. _"_Joshua... M-more... Oh god, __**please**__-!_" _Neku moaned loudly, throwing his head back as Joshua obeyed the boy's request, thrusting in harder than before._

"_O-oooh, __**fuck**__, Josh-!_" _Neku screamed, pleasure ripping through his body as his hands gripped Joshua's shoulders. Joshua stared at the beautiful being beneath him, watching Neku's face contorting into an expression of pleasure and bliss every time Joshua hit that bundle of nerves inside of him._

"_Neku..._" _Joshua breathed, his vision starting to become clouded by flashes of white. He was so __**close**__..._

Joshua woke up, his hair clinging to him by a hot sweat, his breath coming out in pants.

"Wha... what was _that_...?" He murmured quietly, blinking a few times to get the sweat out of his eyes, as it was blurring his vision. Moving his leg a bit, he froze, his skin feeling a warm and sticky substance. "Crap... How exactly am I suppose to wash my sheets at..." He glanced at his clock, "three thirty in the morning?" He sighed, "Well that was rather... awkward..." He got up, carefully avoiding the wet substance in his bed as he did so, and making his way over to the bathroom connected to his bedroom.

"Awkward or not, I still need a shower..." He mumbled, turning the water on. When was the last time he felt like this? So confused, so dirty, so full of want and need for another human being... Never, was the answer he could come up with. Never had he felt like he did now, and he was torn between giving in to this feeling, and trying to push it away completely.

The water had warmed up several minutes ago, though as he undressed, he wondered if a hot shower was really the best thing to do after a dream like that. He decided he really didn't care as he stepped into the glass shower, the hot water caressing his body. He sighed quietly, sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the shower floor.

"I always have wanted everything I couldn't have..." Joshua murmured, smiling faintly.

_'I'll be more careful next time, **your majesty**'_

_'I don't give a shit about your status'_

_'Oh great, priss is here'_

_'You're an ass'_

_'Why don't you go play in traffic?'_

Joshua could actually feel his eyes starting to water, a pain growing in his chest as he thought of how the boy treated him. Neku was so cold, there was no way he could ever...

"A hopeless fantasy..." Joshua murmured, his heart feeling heavy.

_'Thank you'_

Well, he had thanked him... And smiled for him... It wasn't completely hopeless, was it?

_'So you decided to call me as a last resort?'_

He had actually sounded hurt, like he wanted to be thought of as something more than a last minute thought that crossed Joshua's mind when he was bored. A smile worked it's way into Joshua's face as he thought, his chest feeling a bit lighter.

"Isn't love a game...? Win the other's heart before someone else, prove that you're sincere, become the person closest to them... Never break their heart..." Joshua chuckled softly, "Let the game begin."

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Neku::**

A loud knocking on Neku's door woke him up and he groaned, getting out of bed and dragging himself downstairs. He opened the wooden door, forcing himself to be alert and _not_ about to pass out.

"Joshua, what-?" A hand grabbed his, a rose being placed in his palm before the hand pulled away. Neku blinked a few times, a faint blush coming to his face. Joshua smiled, not smirked, _smiled_, staring into Neku's confused blue eyes.

"Good morning Neku. Sorry if I woke you." Joshua said, noticing how tired Neku looked. "I-i, um, i-it's fine..." Neku stuttered, slightly confused as to why Joshua had showed up at his door at eight in the morning wearing an _unbuttoned, _**see-through**_**,**_ shirt and tight jeans, and why he had given him a rose.

"Your face is a bit red, are you feeling alright?" Joshua asked, gently cupping Neku's chin with his hand and brushing his thumb over the boy's cheek. Neku blushed deeper, his eyes widening slightly. He was too shocked to smack Joshua's hand away, though he did manage to stutter out, "I-I'm f-fine!" his words were a bit high-pitched and Joshua noticed. He leaned closer to Neku's face, not close enough that their lips were touching, but close enough to make Neku blush a deep crimson, his knees starting to feel a bit weak.

"Are you sure? You feel a bit warm..." Neku jumped back, blushing an amazing shade of red. "Sh-shut up! Y-you're just acting weird!" Joshua laughed lightly. "You know I don't have to act to be weird, Neku. Though showing concern for someone is hardly considered to be weird, at least in the eyes of most people." Neku pouted slightly, making Joshua's heart beat slightly faster. He looked so cute...

"Yea well... Still... And why'd you give me a rose? Don't roses represent love or something?" Neku asked, twirling the flower stem between his fingers. "Why, yes. It does, how smart of you Neku. Though I wasn't thinking of the meaning at the time of purchase." Neku sighed, "Yea well, thanks, I guess..." He mumbled, gently setting the flower on the windowsill in the sunlight. "So why're you here anyway? Just to give me a flower and basically scare the hell out of me?" Joshua giggled, and strangely, Neku didn't mind it as much as he used to.

"No, I simply came over to brighten up your morning." Joshua smiled and Neku rolled his eyes, "Yea well, you failed." Joshua shrugged, smiling. "Well, my day is certainly looking brighter." Neku blinked, "Why? Does making be freak out make you that happy?" Joshua turned, walking down the steps to Neku's porch, looking over his shoulder upon stepping onto the concrete sidewalk. "Just being near you makes me happy." He caught the look of shock on Neku's face as he looked back in front of him and walked off, a few people seeing him and taking pictures.

_'Just being near me... makes him happy...?'_

Neku watched Joshua walk off, his heart feeling lighter for some reason. Waiting until he lost sight of Joshua as the boy turned the corner, he looked at the rose for a moment before gently picking it up, fingers brushing against the soft and delicate petals. Sighing quietly, he walked to the kitchen. It would need water, right?

||..::+::+::+::..||

"How long has it been since I've been here...?" Neku murmured, looking around the park while he move back and forth slightly on the swing. "A year at least..." He sighed quietly, closing his eyes and feeling a breeze brush against him.

_'I wonder... what he's doing right now...'_

"Heh, hey freak." Neku jumped up, turning around quickly, just missing the rock flung at his head. "What?" Neku asked, eyes narrowed as he took a small step back. One of the five boys coming towards him laughed, smirking.

"Show more respect than that. The correct response is 'Yes, what can I do for you masters'." Neku cringed, "Masters? Why in hell-?" He yelped in pain as someone tackled him from behind, both of them falling to the ground. "And we'd of course respond," The boy continued, walking over to Neku and grabbing a fist full of his hair, forcing his head up to look at him, "you can _bleed_." He smashed Neku's face into the ground, a hiss of pain slipping through Neku's pale lips.

"You like pain, don't you freak? We're doing a favor, you should be _thanking_ us." The boy on top of Neku moved, a foot connecting with the orangette's stomach before he could get up. "Say 'thank you'." Neku glared up at the boy, holding his stomach. "Fuck. You." He hissed, and the boy glared at him before stomping on Neku's face. Neku could feel blood start rushing from his nose, a feeling he was familiar with.

"Choose your words more carefully, bitch. No one is here to save you this time." Neku rolled over before the boy's foot could make contact with his face again and pushed himself up into his knees. "I never said I _wanted_ saving." Someone's foot slammed into Neku's stomach again and he fell onto his side, clutching his stomach. He coughed and saw red spray over the ground through his blurry vision.

Another blow to the stomach, a kick to the face... Something cut into his skin and he bit back a scream, forcing tears back.

_'When did they get a knife...?'_

"I want to hear you _scream_." Another cut, deeper this time, into his side and he screamed, pain shooting through his body. His vision was starting to dim, the sound of laughter ringing in his ears beginning to fade. His body felt numb, he couldn't feel the blood running down his side, or the blows to his body.

_'Joshua... Help...'_

He didn't have time to wonder why he had thought of Joshua as a hard hick to his gut blacked out his vision, his body going limp as he was forced into unconsciousness.

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Joshua::**

"You know, I kept a tally. I got groped over twenty-seven times." Joshua told Sanae who laughed.

"You know how fans get. It's not like it hasn't happened before." Joshua sighed, "True, true... But I find it rather annoying. Having my personal space invaded like that isn't a my idea of fun, Sanae." Sanae raised an eyebrow, "You invade other's personal space all the time." Joshua shrugged, "Because it's fun for me. But it's not fun when _my_ personal space is invaded." He sighed.

_'That's not entirely true... I don't mind having **him** close to me...'_

"Sorry boss, that's just how private shows are. But I won't book you anymore for a while, if it helps." Sanae smiled and Joshua gave a nod, "It helps, a bit." Joshua led down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He blew his bangs out of his face, a faint frown on his face.

"So how are things between you and that kid you're obsessed with?" Joshua glared slightly at man, "I'm not_ obsessed_, Sanae." "Then what _are_ you?" He asked. Joshua opened his mouth, then shut it again. "...Things are well." He said after a moment, ignoring the second question. Sanae gave Joshua a look, which the boy returned. "I don't see why I should tell you how I feel about him. I could hate him, it's a possibility that I'm getting information on him to dispose of him, isn't it?"

"That could be it... If you weren't blushing." Joshua brought a hand to his cheek and swore. He could feel the heat on his face, indicating that a rather deep blush was there. Every time he though of the other boy he'd start blushing, it was Neku's fault. "It's not a _blush_, it's... A reaction that comes with intense hatred undescribed by any other actions or words." He earned himself a 'wtf' look and sighed.

"Yes, it's a blush. Are you quite happy now?" The man shrugged, "Sure. It answers my question pretty well." Joshua hugged a pillow to his face, groaning in annoyance. "Boss, you can suffocate like that." "I dunft cwar!" Joshua's words were muffled by the pillow, making it difficult to understand him. Sanae just sighed, moving the pillow from Joshua's face. Joshua frowned, "Give me my pillow back. I happen to like it."

"You'll end up killing yourself with it, and I'm not going to try to explain 'accidental suicide' to the cops." Joshua reached for another pillow, but it was too far away. "You know, we should get more pillows in here..." He mumbled, still trying to grab the pillow that was clearly out of his reach. Sanae leaned back against the wall, watching the young boy try to grab the fabric covering the pillow a foot away from his hand.

"You're not gonna reach it." Joshua stopped reaching for the pillow and went back to looking at the ceiling, "Yes, I'm aware of that." He replied, closing his eyes. "Sanae, do me a favor and get the phone for me, will you? I need to make a phone call." Sanae sighed, grabbing the phone and tossing it to Joshua. "Want me to leave the room?" Joshua nodded and the man walked out, running a hand through his hair.

Joshua waited for the ringing to stop, a bit impatiently.

_'Pick up...'_

"Hello?"

||..::+::+::+::..||

**::Neku::**

"Hello?" Neku answered the phone, wincing a bit as antibiotic touched his side.

"Hello, Neku~" Neku recognized Joshua's voice and sighed, "Hi, Josh. Something you need?" "Just wanted to hear your voice~" Joshua sang. Neku yelped as the nurse's hand accidently touched the gash in his side, "Oww!" The girl apologized, and Neku sighed, "Sorry, what?" There was a pause, before Joshua spoke again, "Neku, are you ok?"

"Um, ye- Oww! Dammit, stop doing that!" He glared at the girl who had a small panic attack, repeating the phrase 'I'm so sorry' five times quickly. Neku took the bandages from her and started bandaging himself up, not trusting her not to stab him with her nails. "Yea, I'm fine Joshua..." Joshua frowned, "Neku. Don't lie, what happened?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned with... Oh um, can you do me a small favor though?" Neku asked, sending the nurse out. She was no help anyway. "It depends on what it is." Joshua replied. "Can you drive up to the hospital, the one near the park, and pick me up? I'm not suppose to be walking, something about my blood flow and passing out." "Why, what happened?" Joshua asked, and Neku felt his heart rate quicken slightly.

_'He sounds... concerned... He's worried about me...?'_

"I... I'll tell you later, ok? But I really hate hospitals, so if you could come over now that'd be helpful..." Joshua walked outside and yelled to his chauffer, getting in his car. "I'll be there in a few minutes." "Thanks, Josh." Neku hung up before he could ask anymore question and grabbed his jacket, pulling it on. The fabric touching his skin hurt, so he didn't zip it up, but he did pull the hood up over his head. His face was bruised, and for some reason he didn't want Joshua to see that.

_'I look worse than usual... I don't need him fainting on me, since he's my ride home...'_

Neku sighed, working now on disinfecting his hands. They only had a few cuts and bruises, not many, but he didn't want any of them to get infected.

He was halfway through bandaging his other hand when Joshua walked in the room. He looked up at him, still wrapping the guaze around his hand. "Hey." Joshua slowly walked over to him, sitting down beside him on the bed. There were small dots of red on the white sheets, which were obviously blood. A thin tube was hooked to Neku's arm, allowing blood to flow into his body.

"Hey..." Joshua mumbled, "What... What happened to you...?" He asked, and Neku sighed. "Some kids just decided to use me as their punching bag, no big deal. Happens all the time..." Joshua frowned. "Neku, you shouldn't let them hurt you like this..." The boy just shrugged, finishing with his hand. "I'm used to it."

There was a moment of silence, before Joshua reached up, slipping the boy's hood off his head. Neku averted his gaze to the floor upon hearing Joshua's gasp, tears welling up in his eyes for some reason. "I'm hideous, I know..." He mumbled, sure that Joshua was probably appalled by the way he looked.

_'I... don't want to look bad in front of him... Why...?'_

**::Joshua::**

Purple and blue spots stood out against the boy's pale skin, cuts along his cheeks and nose. They looked so painful, it was shocking that Neku could talk so normally, not stuttering or stopping every so often due to pain. It hurt, to his angel like this, that beautiful face beaten so badly.

Without thinking, he leaned forward, kissing one of Neku's bruises. Neku blushed a deep crimson, but said nothing as Joshua's lips brushed against his skin, again, and again, planting soft butterfly kisses on every mark ruining the boy's flawless skin. He kissed the corner of Neku's lips, though there was no mark, before moving away, just slightly. He was still closed to the other's face, he could feel his breath on his lips as he stared into those mesmerizing blue eyes.

"Joshua...?" Neku said his name softly, not breaking eye contact. It was a question of what he was doing, but Joshua didn't answer, his mind shutting down as impulse took over. He leaned forward, his eyelids sliding closed as his lips brushed against Neku's. The other boy blushed deeper, feeling Joshua's soft lips on his own, but didn't push him away, closing his own eyes and moving forward slightly so their lips were pressed together in a kiss.

_'He... He's not pushing me away... He's not objecting to this... Neku... He's kissing me back...'_

**::Neku::**

It was brief, just a soft, innocent kiss. Not a word was exchanged as they pulled away, a red flush clearly visible on both their faces. Neku pulled his hood back on and allowed Joshua to carry him out to the car, not asking why he kissed him, because then he'd have to explain why he kissed back.

And he didn't know.

_'My heart was beating so fast... I could hear it, pounding in my chest, and I was afraid he could too... Why didn't I push him away? I hate him, don't I? But... His lips were so soft... it felt... nice... I liked it, I liked kissing him... Why...?'_

"Neku, you're going to stay at my house until you're completely healed." Joshua told him as they sat in the car, Neku's head leaning on Joshua's shoulder, his eyes closed.

"Ok." He answered, opening his eyes slightly. Joshua's hand was rested on the seat between the two of them, close to Neku's own hand. Without thinking, Neku slid his hand underneath Joshua's to their palms were together and intertwined their fingers, holding his hand. He closed his eyes again, feeling Joshua tense up from the action, but didn't pull his hand away. Giving in to the drowsiness started to envelope him, he drifted off to sleep, his head still resting on Joshua's shoulder.

Joshua glanced at Neku, and though he couldn't see his face, knew he was sleeping from the way he breathed. He kissed the top of the boy's head gently, before closing his own eyes and slowly falling into the first peaceful sleep he'd had in a long time.

* * *

**A/N- Dear god this is fucking LONG. I had planned for it to be about 3,000 words, but it's 10,920 and STILL not done. This is going to have two or three parts (Probably two) since you'd all get very bored of this chapter if It was 20,000 words. And the next chapter, might be short. That's the way my (retarded) mind works. This took me FOUR DAYS to write, so PLEASE no flames. And I apologize for grammatical and spelling errors. I was typing this at two in the morning the other day and my brain does not WORK past midnight. Oh and the title, nothing to do with the story, not really. I blame 'Rockstar' by Nickelback, it gave me the inspiration and that's just a line from the song. You know, in a way, couldn't this story work for 'Love Game' by Lady GaGa...? ...Wait, did I just compare Nickelback to Lady Gaga? ...Woooow, ok this story officially killed my brain.**

**I have THREE REQUEST THINGIES! First of all, please review. After spending so long on this, reviews would just be AWESOME and make me feel like well, not an idiot for spending so long on this. Second~ There isn't enough JoshuaxNeku in the world. NOT. ENOUGH. Please, somebody draw some or write some or SOMETHING! I will shower you with imagination cookies : D ...Yea, that last one counted as two and three, so that's it. But reviews are number one for a reason~ ;D**

**Anyway, for those of you who actually read my A/N, thank you and thanks for reading! Love you all!**


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